Another freeloader
Last winter I put up the new tube feeder that my son have given me, and no sooner did it start to attract birds than it also proved a magnet for squirrels. These rodents are, I have to admit, attractive and fun to watch. But they're also nuisances and scare away the birds I'm trying to help, so this year, I didn't put up a feeder until quite late, and when I did, I chose a supposedly "squirrel-proof" model. To it, I also added an anti-squirrel collar that seems to have done the trick of keeping the rodents at bay. They are, however, always on the lookout for an opening, and when that hasn't appeared, they're not above sniffing the air and dashing over to the feeder to scarf up on seed that somehow landed on the ground. Sciurus carolinensis is never too proud to accept a handout.